Quilt Border Calculator
Enter your quilt top size and border width. You get the strips to cut and the fabric to buy.
How the quilt border calculator works
This uses the most common method: add the side borders first, then the top and bottom. The side borders are the length of the quilt. The top and bottom borders are the width of the quilt plus both side borders.
Cut strips 1/2" wider than the finished border. Measure your quilt through the center before cutting, since edges stretch. The calculator shows yardage for strips pieced from width-of-fabric cuts, and for cutting along the length of the fabric with no seams, which uses more fabric but looks cleaner on directional prints.
Questions
How much fabric for a 6 inch border?
For a 60" × 72" top, a 6" finished border needs 8 strips at 6 1/2" wide, about 1 1/2 yards pieced, or 2 1/8 yards cut lengthwise.
Why measure through the middle of the quilt?
The edges of a quilt top stretch while you work. Cutting borders to the center measurement and easing the edges to fit keeps the quilt square and stops wavy borders.
How do I add more than one border?
Do them one at a time. Add the first border's width to the quilt size on both sides, then calculate the next one from the new size.